Manchester Public Library Reader's Connection
Required Reading
Remember your reading list from high school? Did you read them the first time?
Try these books again, they are tried and true winners!

The Jungle (1906) Upton Sinclair

...harrowing view of the meat packing industry in Chicago in the early 1900's.

Catcher in the Rye (1951) J. D. Salinger

...misadventures of Holden Caulfield, an expelled prep school student, during a long, lost weekend in Manhattan.

The Good Earth (1931) Pearl S. Buck

...classic story of a poor, honest farmer and his wife struggling to make a living on the farm under the last reign of the Emperor in China

The Pearl (1947) John Steinbeck

...tragic story of a poor Mexican pearl diver and the consequences that overcome his family after finding a priceless pearl.

Of Mice and Men (1937) John Steinbeck

...story of two men, companions and itinerant farm laborers, who work together in an effort to obtain the American Dream.

Ethan Frome (1911) Edith Wharton

...narrative about a farmer, his wife and their cousin and the pulls of loyalty and duty that constrain their lives.

The Tale of Two Cities (1859) Charles Dickens

...famous tale of the French Revolution. Story focuses on a doctor, his daughter, and a French aristocrat whom the daughter loves.

The Scarlet Letter (1850) Nathaniel Hawthorne

...story of Hester Prynne, who was forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" in retribution for her sin of passion.

Martian Chronicles (1950) Ray Bradbury

...set in the unknown future of 1999, the citizens of Earth send numerous explorers to the planet Mars in search of life.

A Night to Remember (1955) Walter Lord

...a gripping account of the sinking of the Titanic based on numerous interviews with survivors.

The Grapes of Wrath (1939) John Steinbeck

...brings to life the poverty and loss of people living during the Dust Bowl era, as we follow the journey of the Joad family from Oklahoma farmers to California migrant workers.

Little Women (1869) Louisa May Alcott

...chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in 19th century New England

Romeo and Juliet (1590's) William Shakespeare

...noble houses of Montague and Capulet are locked in a bitter feud. When the children of the families fall in love, they are swept up in a

series of violent and cruel events.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) Harper Lee

...simply stated, the story of a father, his son and daughter, their maid and neighbors in a small town in Alabama during the depression. The bigger picture is one depicting loyalty, racism, poverty and love in the same era.

The Deerslayer (1841) James Fenimore Cooper

...follows the adventures of the brave and bold frontier man, Natty Bumpo.